Monday, March 23, 2015

I dearly welcoming you to this blog to continue enjoying the most current news that makes you become aware of what is happening around you and within the Tanzanian society. My name is Emmanuel Onyango, I am currently based in Dar es Salaam. As concerns with my profession, I am a practicing journalist and I am currently working with the Guardian Newspaper in Dar es Salaam.

Imagine that it’s your first time to have visited Dar es Salaam city and
might become so impressed by its fine looking scenery that is enshrined with
high skyscrapers which are being constructed within the city centre and its
environs in a modern magnificent scale. Such a scientific development currently
being undertaken is an indication that real estate investment is picking up and
growing at a much rapid pace in the country. On looking at tall buildings, one might
get an impression that it is the most and well developed city among others in the
world that is well planned with the modern scientific style that could give a
mega status of a modern city one could think about. Despite of all these
developments taking place alongside the government’s efforts towards making Dar
es Salaam city to achieve its mega status dream for the state, poor
sanitation continues to blight the city’s drive towards this achievement. If you tend to walk in
some areas within the city centre especially round Kariakoo
market complex, the environmental situation around reveals a shocking, yet
almost amusing fact about the continued bad state which is littered with
uncollected heap of garbage filth in almost every street. A recent survey in the
area has discovered that, apart from uncollected stinking filth, in some areas
sewer water could be seen flowing along the street giving out horrible smell to
passersby, and this is due to the dilapidated underground sewer pipes whose
infrastructure are worn out and needs replacements. As you walk along in some
streets within the city, one could feel bad smell of human excreta coming out of
leaking sewer pipes. You might ask yourself why the situation is like this and
probably you could throw a severe blame to the city fathers for their failure
to supervise leakages on sewer pipes. Most streets in the area poses health hazards to the
people around as their situation is more appalling. Among the most notorious
ones includes the Livingstone and Aggrey streets, the latter street
has underground sewer water pipes which is drifting causing inconveniences to
passersby. Next to it is the famous Mchikichini street which is notorious with littered
scraps of papers scattered along the street left uncollected for longer. The
situation along Sikukuu and Pemba Streets are so pathetic as petty traders could
be seen selling their food crops and other merchandise over open trenches which
is full of stagnant water draining from a nearby residential areas which gives
out bad smell with customers seem not to care about it. Other areas includes Msimbazi
Street, Nango’mbe Street which also look so pathetic and have so far been left unattended. A spot
check by the Guardian reporter in
these areas has discovered that, ordinary people including petty traders who
conduct their daily business activities are seriously inconvenienced with the
regular obnoxious odour emitting from the dilapidated underground sewer water
pipes. Interviewed residents around the area have been disappointed and became
despaired with the situation which to some extent poses to their health hazards
saying that during rainy seasons the situation becomes worse and more intolerable.

Children scavenging on a garbage heap near the town.

According to health experts, exposed open trenches pose a great threat to
people’s health and might cause numerous diseases including diarrhea, or might be
the source of some generic problems resulting as one of the most deprived
condition for human health. Contacted for comments, the spokesperson of the
Ilala Municipal Council Tabu Shaibu who admitted the prevailing situation put
it clear that, repairs of underground water pipes is entirely the
responsibility of the Dar es Salaam Water Supply Authority (DAWASCO). She
claimed that, the water authority seem to ignore their responsibility thus
prompting many city residents think that the replacement of such worn out
infrastructure is executed by Ilala Municipal council whereas is not the case. Clarifying
over the matter she said that, ‘there is a long standing controversy between
her municipal council and the city water authority over their failure to
replace the worn out underground water pipes an aspect that renders their
efforts to make the city clean. On her side, speaking over the matter, the
DAWASCO’s Public Relations Officer Evalasting Lyaro said that, his company is
trying all it can in order to remedy the situation which she admitted to be
causing inconveniences to the people around. She noted that, despite efforts
shown by DAWASCO, but the increasing population density is another exacerbating
factor that causes the underground sewer water pipes to fail work properly
causing a leakage to some of them. She also noted of the continued habit by
some unfaithful citizens who are fond of vandalizing some infrastructures and
that the situation keeps untidy for the development of the drainage systems for
the underground sewer water in the city. She also cited the continued influx of people
from rural to the city is another serious factor that, the three Dar es Salaam
Municipal Councils are struggling to control the bulging population density in
search of jobs for livelihoods but in vain. Statistics made available by Ilala
Municipal Council shows that, it is estimated that an average of9 people have been entering in Dar ers Salaam
city on daily basis since 2000 in search of livelihood an aspect that is a
cause of high congestion causing use of water infrastructure to become
congested.But few people may appreciate
the extent of this problem which is fast becoming an epidemic in the state. Most
tourist serving companies restricts visiting tourists not go to Kariakoo citing
the fact that, the area is dirty littered with stinking filth around and more
worse is full of thieves and there is absolutely nothing there to buy other
than cheap Chinese knock offs. Dar es
Salaam is a coastal city on the Indian Ocean. The city is undergoing noticeable
changes in its urbanization trends and the flow of inland migration. All
experts interviewed coincide that the rate of population growth exceeds the
rate of provision of basic services.

A heap of uncollected filth along the main road.

Three weeks ago, members of Parliament
strongly blamed the government for failure to maintain cleanliness in Dar es
Salaam city. They made their concern in the wake of failure by the government
to take drastic measures that would ensure the city looked clean. They argued
that sheer laxity, corruption and poor performance within Dar es Salaam’s City
Council authorities have brought about a total failure to make this commercial
capital a clean and tourist friendly site. The Kinondoni Member of Parliament,
Iddi Azzan said the three municipalities within the city lack capacity to collect
garbage in their respective areas. He said: “It is wrong for the central
government to leave the task to the municipalities, which do not have the
capacity”. This poses an enormous challenge for city authorities, who have to
deal simultaneously with making the city livable and hazard-free. Responding to
other queries as related with the Dar es Salaam city situation in Parliament
recently, the deputy minister in the Prime Minister's Office (Regional
Administration and Local Government), Aggrey Mwanri, said the government has
plans to ensure that all urban centres in the country, including Dar es Salaam,
are clean. He was responding to a question from Mwanamrisho Taratibu Abama
(Special Seats-CUF) who had wanted to know what strategies the government had
to ensure that the city is clean. According to Mwanri, one of the strategies is
the planned launch of a ‘Dar es Salaam metropolitan project’ that will cost over
500bn/- in the coming financial year of 2015/16. The deputy minister said
cleanliness of towns and cities are stipulated in the various Environmental
Acts of 2004 and Social Health Act of 2009 along with various municipal
by-laws. He said the government abides by these laws in ensuring that all towns
and cities keep the environment clean and avoid diseases caused by dirt. He
blamed the terrible state of sanitation in the country’s cities on lack of
modern equipment but nonetheless confessed that ‘oversight of laws by different
stakeholders, including local government authorities, has rendered many urban
centres filthy.’ According to Dar es Salaam city Mayor Dr. Didas Masaburi, Dar
city is estimated to be producing 4,252 tons of filthy per day, which among
this 70 percent are dumped in dumping sites as the city is curbed with the
scarcity of modern facilities of garbage collection. According to him, the
underground city infrastructures are worn out and some maps of the former
infrastructures are not in place. Ranked among the top dirtiest cities in
Africa, Tanzania’s commercial capital, Dar es Salaam, was established in 1857
by the Sultan of Zanzibar, Seyyid Al-Majjd, as the designated new capital. He
moved to this new city in 1862, but died before accomplishing his development
plans for the new capital. He named this city Dar es Salaam or “Haven of Peace” for its good weather, a
good port position in the Indian Ocean, and a good direction of trade winds.
Today, Dar es Salaam is growing to be known as one of the dirtiest cities in
the world, holding the 12th position as a dirtiest. Only weeks since a report
named Dar es Salaam the dirtiest city in the country, waste management
companies operating in the country’s commercial capital allege what they describe
as an ‘absolute lack of cooperation by municipal authorities.’

Tuesday, March 17, 2015

TRANSPORT ministers from five countries in East and
Central Africa who formed the Central Corridor Transit Transportation
Facilitation Agency (CCTTFA), have launched the first ever acceleration process
of the high level investors’ forum to
speed up the transitional infrastructure development for the great Lakes
region. CCTTFA countries which include Tanzania, DCR, Burundi, Rwanda and
Uganda ratified an agreement of facilitating infrastructural development along
the central corridor zone since its establishment in 2006 . The agency was
formed with a view to ensure that cargo clearances are efficient and transport
costs are minimized to ensure logistics efficiency and competitiveness. The
Minister for Transport Samwel Sitta said in Dar es Salaam last Friday that, the
process will open up an avenue for international investors who are willing to
come and invest in infrastructure for which the agency was formed that includes
port, railways and road infrastructure within the Central Corridor zone. He
told a press conference after a two hour closed door meeting of CCTTFA country
transport ministers and their representatives that the aim is to ease
transportation infrastructure within the central corridor zone which starts
from Dar es Salaam port and moves along the central railway line up to Kigoma
and across Lake Tanganyika to the neighboring DRC country.

Tanzania's Minister for Transport Samwel Sitta

Another area of
investment within the corridor he noted would include road infrastructure and
ports including the dry port of Isaka in Shinyanga region currently under
construction to receive transit cargoto
be destined for Rwanda and Burundi countries respectively. Minister Sitta
further noted that, transport facilitation programme is also in line with the
agreement earlier ratified by five East African countries under Single Customs
Territory (SCT) with a view to facilitate the accessibility of their exports
and imports through Dar es Salaam port. According to minister Sitta, the
yesterday meeting was convened also in preparation for the investors’ forum
which will be held back to back with the central corridor Presidential Round
Table (PRT) on March 25th later this month in Dar es Salaam, and the
event will be attended by Heads of States of CCTTFA member states. He further
elaborated that, the five Presidents of member countries will engage themselves
to discuss matters concerning with the transportation within the corridor and
among other activities, they will also inaugurate a block train that will carry
cargo to their respective countries. “Presidents of Rwanda, DRC and Burundi
will flag off a block train one after the other that will transport cargo to be
destined to their respective countries”, he said adding that the event will
take place at Dar es Salaam main Railways Station. It can be recalled that, the Central Corridor
Acceleration Process was launched in Davos in January 2014 during World
Economic Forum (WEF) meeting. The programme seeks to accelerate infrastructure
investments through Private Sector Participation. The central corridor was
selected as the pilot project out of 51 projects under programme for
Infrastructure Development in Africa-Priority Action Plan (PIDA-PAP)

The senior energy advisor with the United
States Agency for International Development (USAID) has said that, “Tanzania
need to create a conducive environment that focuses on enhancing Private sector
participation in the implementation of Private Public Partnerships (PPP) in the
country”. Dr. Michael Boyd who is a USAID representative in Tanzania made the
observation on Friday night this week in Dar es Salaam at a gala dinner
ceremonial event organized on monthly basis by members of the CEO Round Table. He
said the private sector participation is very crucial for the country’s economic
development especially at this time when gas and oil exploration is taking
place in southern part of the country. He said Tanzania need to create a
conducive environment for the local investors as a viable way of unlocking
private sector investments so as to meet specific requirements in key sectors
that includes energy, agriculture, infrastructure and tourism in ensuring
inclusive socio-economic development. He gave as an advice to the government
that it needs to build a close relationship with the private sector as one way
to empower them by providing training to its local entrepreneurs on gas so as
to make them become knowledgeable with enough skills which will make them
benefit with gas production in future. He said although it might take time for
the government to undergo in this transformation process, it has to get
prepared to spend time and money for future development instead of depending
much on foreign investors who look after money. He further noted that, experience
all over the world shows that, every country where there is gas production,
governments maintained a good and closer relationships with the private sector
in order to strengthen their internal market economy. However, he gave an
example of one country Brazil which spent many years in training their local
experts on gas energy and now is self sustaining with the gas production in
their country in an open and transparent manner. On his part, the Assistant
Director in charge of Private Sector Development in Prime Minister’s Office,
Azamo Maponde said that, the government is planning to establish PPP
Facilitation Fund which would help enhance private sector development schemes. The
aim is to effectively enable the private sector companies to facilitate their
economic activities in a b id to dominate the local market for the country’s
growth. He said the idea has come at this opportune time after the passing of a
2014 PPP Amendment Act which sought to address challenges highlighted as
significant milestone for the private sector in the country. He said the PPP
facilitation fund is endorsed in the new amended Act and that, the Prime
Minister’s office would undergo a process to ensure that it gets a reputable
bank in the country which would be in a position to maintain all the
transactions required according to the law. He further noted that, the PM’s
office would select the Bank by following the right procedures of tendering processes.
Founded in 2000, the CEOst is a policy dialogue forum
with the main objective of creation a platform through which captains of
industry can constructively engage the government with the vision of creating a
more conducive environment for businesses to prosper and contribute to Tanzania’s
economic growth.

Monday, March 9, 2015

THE
Swedish Ambassador accredited in the country has expressed his grave concern
over the continued killings of people with albinism saying that the continued
trend would tarnish a good image Tanzania has on the reputation of peace and
harmony at the international level. Ambassador Lennarth Hjelmaker said
yesterday in Dar es Salaam that, the government needs to take serious actions over
the matter which has surprised the international community and finds ways on
how to stop the escalating phenomenon. He said in an exclusive interview at a climax
of a forum for youths and children with disabilities which his country had
organized for three countries including Sweden, Tanzania and Rwanda. The Friday’s
forum was attended by the Minister of State in Prime Minister’s Office
Christopher Chiza as a Chief guestfor
the occasion which started on Tuesday this
week in Dar es Salaam under the theme, “Come together to fight cruelty on children
with disability” . He said the issue of the bad fame of albino killings in
Tanzania has widely spread at a global community since such incidences broke
out in the year 2000, an aspect which has brought chock to peace keepers as the
action is so terrible and that cannot be tolerated at all. However, Ambassador
Hjelmaker has also thanked the government for the steps it has taken so far over
the matter which has ensured the apprehension of the suspects and their trial
before the High Court on murder charges.

Swedish Ambassador
Lennarth Hjelmaker in Tanzania

Stakeholders at a forum discussed
about the basic rights such as education for children with disabilities and called
for urgent attention from governments to defend their rights wherever possible.
This is the first ever congregation to be held in the country and was organized
by the Swedish government through its international organization which is
concerned with the welfare of the people with disabilities in the world
popularly known by its acronym FUB. Earlier in his opening remarks, Minister
Chiza assured people with albinism in the country of the safety measures which
the government has intensified for their safety, and has called on the general
public to join hands in the exposing people who are directly involved.“A joint
cooperation among good citizens is one way to win the war which to a greater
extent has caused fear of living for the affected people with albinism”, he
said. On his part, a consultancy and a defendant officer for people with
albinism with Free Pentecostal Church of Tanzania, Josephat Torner expressed
his disappointment over how the government is looking at the matter and how it
responds to the regular demands of the affected groups in the demand. He said
in an exclusive interview that, no any efforts is seen to be seriously by the
government to fight the trend, he queried as to why such killings are going on
year after year and more worse when the elections are approaching. “Suppose a
soldier could have been killed in such a manner, you could see how the armed forces
undertake their cover in the search for the culprits”, he remarked and noted
that it becomes less serious for albinos which the government takes their fate
for granted.

AWARD 1

I won the second prize in policy category of the African Information society Initiative ( AISI) awards 2004 which is annually organized by the United Nations- Economic Commission for Africa ( UNECA) based in Addis-Ababa, Ethiopia. On the first photo above standing with other awardees after the Ceremony at the National Settlers monument in Grahamstown, South Africa.This was during the 8th Highway Africa Conference.The second photo shows the cross section of Jounalists from different African countries who attended the ceremony.

AWARD 2

I also won the AISI-GKP/SDC Media Award special reporting on WSIS process and Africa, and conferred with the award in Tunis, Tunisia during WSIS summit in 2005. See the photo above.

AWARD 3

Winner on the Media Competition on writing about " Stigma denial and Discrimination" associated with HIV/AIDS. This was organized by theAssociation of Journalists Against Aids in Tanzania ( AJAAT). On the Photo above President Jakaya Mrisho Kikwete of Tanzania, ( then the Minister for Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation) was the guest of honour during the award giving ceremony.This was at Maelezo auditorium in Dar-es-Salaam September 2005.

AWARD 4

Winner on the Media Competition on writing about "Vulnerable Children" associated with HIV/AIDS This was organized by the Association of Journalists Against Aids in Tanzania ( AJAAT)

AWARD 5

Winner of the National ICT Media Award organized By SWOPNET in the Country. On the photo above Morogoro Regional Commissioner, Brigadier General ( Rt) Saidi Kalembo was the guest of honour during the award giving ceremony which was held at New Sarvoy Hotel in morogoro town.I was awarded a Mobile phone and a tape-recorder.

AWARD 6

I participated in the Media Competition in writing about VCT (Voluntary Counseling and Testing) in Tanzania which was held between July 15th and October 30th 2008 whereby I emerged among the top five winners. The competition was under the program known as “Tanzania bila Ukwimwi inawezekana” which literally means, Tanzania without AIDS disease transmission is possible”. This is a program which was organizedby the Association of Journalists Against AIDS in Tanzania (AJAAT) under TACAIDS funding. In the photo, I am being presented with a certificate of participation by the Chairman of the Tanzania Commission for AIDS (TACAIDS) Dr. Fatma Mrisho in a colorful ceremony which was held on 22nd December 2008 at Tanzania Information Centre in Dar es Salaam.

AWARD 7

AWARD 8

AWARD 9

I was among the top 17 best selected students who excelled in their final examinations of the 2010/2011 academic year and awarded with the Vice-Chancellor’s prize. I scored 4.5 GPA (First Class) in BA in Journalism. Above I am being given a certificate by the Chairman of the Open University of Tanzania Board of Senate. Standing at the centre facing camera is the Vice-Chancellor, Professor Tolly Mbwette. Extreme left partly hidden is the Deputy Vice-Chancellor (Academic) Professor Elifas Bisanda. This occasion took place during the convocation meeting, a day before the graduation day at the prospective permanent headquarter of the Open University of Tanzania which is currently under construction at Bungo-Kibaha in Coast region 40 kilometers away west of Dar es Salaam city.